Dr George Lawson

Dr Lawson works on the relationship between history and theory|, with a particular interest in historical sociology|. He applies these interests to the study of revolutions, which form the subject of two books: 'Negotiated Revolutions: The Czech Republic, South Africa and Chile' (2005) and 'Anatomies of Revolution' (Forthcoming). He also applies these interests to the study of ‘global modernity’, on which he has recently finished a project with Barry Buzan charting the ways in which a range of important dynamics in contemporary international relations have their roots in the 19th century ‘global transformation’. Articles from this project have appeared in International Studies Quarterly|, the European Journal of International Relations| and International Affairs|.| A book| length version of the argument was published as part of the Cambridge Studies in International Relations series in early 2015.

Areas of Expertise

Processes of radical change, especially revolutions

Historical Sociology, especially analysis of ‘global modernity'

International Relations theory, especially the relationship between history and IR

Recent Publications

The Global Transformation: History, Modernity and the Making of International Relations (with Barry Buzan) (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015). Cambridge Studies in International Relations No. 135.

Fred Halliday: Achievements, Ambivalences and OpeningsColás and Lawson: Fred Halliday was one of the most important scholars of his generation. This article examines Halliday’s intellectual influences, assesses his contribution to International Relations (IR) and probes the broader challenges which his work raises.

The global 1989: openDemocracyThe political transformation and social drama of the 1989 revolutions in east-central Europe promised a decisive rupture with the past. But the perspective of two decades and of a global frame offers a more complex picture of this historic moment, says George Lawson.

The Global 1989Last night at IDEAS, a roundtable of leading academics debated a new edited volume: The Global 1989. One of the editors, Dr George Lawson, explores the ways in which the central dynamics of contemporary world politics have been shaped, for better or worse, by the social forces unleashed in Central and Eastern Europe some twenty years ago.

IDEAS Today - Issue 3: April 2010Refugees in Malaysia by Eva-Lotta Hedman, What Next for Iran? by George Lawson, Drifting or Rifting? America and Europe in the age of Obama by Gregorio Bettiza, New fuel for the Falklands dispute? by George Adelman, Extending Models of Diversity: Politics and Society in Trinidad and Tobago Leslie James, and more...

Barack Obama's Nobel Prize: A DebateArne Westad, Michael Cox, Nigel Ashton, Danny Quah, et al.: Barack Obama's award of the Nobel Peace Prize, with nominations having closed just a month into his Presidential term, has raised eyebrows. Here a number of Contributors discuss the award. Why was it made, and is it deserved? What’s the political thinking behind it? How will affect Obama’s ability to pursue his foreign policy objectives? What will be reaction domestically?

The Global 1989?George Lawson: As we approach the twentieth anniversary of ‘1989 and all that’, it might be worth ducking for cover. Lest we forget, the year ‘1989’ has become something of a cliché, caught in a sense of its own triumphalism, considered by all and sundry (or at least by most) to be the ur-contemporary demarcation point in world historical time, a normative, analytical and empirical referent point par excellence.

Use of this website is subject to, and implies acceptance of, its Terms of use (including Copyright and intellectual property, Privacy and data protection and Accessibility). The London School of Economics and Political Science is a School of the University of London. It is a charity and is incorporated in England as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Acts (Reg no. 70527).The registered office address of the School is: The London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK; Tel: +44 (0)20 7405 7686